BOE wants a new locker room
From the NHRs Luther Turmelle:
The Board of Education has approved a proposal to develop a new, free-standing boys locker room at Cheshire High School.
The board has approved a conceptual plan for the facility, which would be located adjacent to the high school’s Maclary Athletic Complex.
In addition to the boys locker room, the building would house restrooms and a snack bar, said Paul Calaluce Jr., the district’s assistant superintendent for administrative services.
Tim White
21 comments:
The boe wants a lot of things. In addition to the $500,000 locker room, they want a turf field that'll cost way more than the $525,000 grant that the TC accepted.
They claim that remodeling the current locker room would cost $750,000 - $1,000,000...glad I don't use their contractor!
Use the $525,000 grant money for the locker room. At least it would cover the cost whereas with a turf field, someone (taxpayers) would have to come up with another $500,000.
Doesn't anyone have any common sense?
Stop it! Stop it. Stop it.
Learn to live with the way things are. The BOE is so stupid, they listen to anything the school administration dreams up.
This is not a need, it is over the top.
Hey folks, why don't you think of how you can change your dinasaur system of teaching that is base soley on shoveling money into the pockets of a greedy bunch of teachers.
Didn't the grant say in so many words.."for improvements to the Maclarey Athletic Complex including a turf field"...So the bathroom/locker room/concession stand is the improvement to the complex and will use the $525,000. That's it. Nothing else. NO TURF FIELD!
Why is there a need for a snack bar? A place to sell drugs out of.
These people must think the recession is over and that the taxpayer have more money than they can spend.
I guess if your a teacher, the 4.4%raises were not the only great thing, the sales of the recession have made this time just wonderful for teachers.
So Cheshire taxpayers, stop complaining about your taxes, just pay them and shut up. If you don't like it, move.
Somehow through long term neglect the current facility falls into disrepair. Next the school administration assumes it will be rewarded with additional millions from the tax payers so the crumbling, neglected facility can be abandoned in place and replaced with a significant upgrade. Come on folks, a SNACK BAR to be included in a locker room upgrade - - -?
Here's a thought, how about switching out the present school administration. After all, they are driving for 4%+ pay raises, artificial turf, and now public rest rooms and snack bars are to be added to a replacement locker room. All this during the worst economic times since about 1930. The current school administration seems, well, just a bit beyond mildly out of touch with reality to say the least.
The replacement administration should be charged with assessing the physical facilities and assessing current maintenance practices. The replacement administration would also develop a plan going forward to repair/maintain facilities.
If they could actually turn around the present dysfunctional behaviors then maybe investing additional money on new facilities would be warranted.
This is typical of what happens in this town.
The roads are paved, the plows and other trucks rip them up, the town doesn't take care of them so we need to re-pave.
The football field is re-sodded, the teams and other events rip it up, hte town doesn't fix it up properly so now we want turf (which will not be taken care of properly and will need replacing in less years then the typical turf).
The locker rooms are abused by the coaches and players, they are not held responsible for damage and are not cleaned in a timely manner, therefore we need to build new ones so they can abuse those.
When will it all stop?
Why don't we hold those responsible for making them in such poor condition. Make them pay for damage. Pay the custodians to make sure they are cleaned after each event and if there is damage, they report it and that athletic team is held responsible.
Stop the madness!
My understanding is the lockerroom building will replace the existing lockerrooms and the concession stand by the football field. New, larger and updated bathrooms will be added for the public as well as players. If the current room is in such disaray, we should consider this project at this time as it could help improve our image.
"...Stop the madness!..."
School administration, the superintendent, principals and vice principals seem ineffective at caring for our facilities. First replace the current ineffective school management. When a new team shows it can handle simple stuff like cleaning and maintaining locker rooms only then should the town begin re-investing money in new facilities.
And let's not blame the lowest people on the totem pole, the janitors for this problem either. Supervisors, managers, and above as well as teaching staff and coaches are to blame for not knowing and showing no interest in early correction of deficiencies.
It's pretty common knowledge that before some sporting events, the teams are in the locker room getting "riled" up for the game..this is something the coaches encourage. If they get so riled up that they break something it doesn't matter..as long as they go out and win the game. The coaches don't care what the kids do inside the locker room - they never cared how dirty it got or what got broken. It wasn't until a few parents started complaining that anyone took notice or decided they'd better do something. Remember they don't want bad publicity. So now they want the taxpayers to foot the bill to fix things - and as the other post says, they'll just eventually destroy the new place too.
"If the current room is in such disaray, we should consider this project at this time as it could help improve our image."
Why should we consider this project at "this" time?
We are in a recession and are looking to cut, not find things to spend money on.
If they are in such a state of "disaray", how did they get that way?
Wouldn't we still have to repair the damage anyway? We can't just leave it that way if we build a new one.
Do you think a new locker room will improve our image?
How about this, get a TC that will stop rewarding their "good ole boys" favors, lets get wome people in there who will work for the people, then they would iprove the image of this town to the people who care the most, the tax payers.
We should consider it because with new construction at a stand still, we could possibly get a break from the contractors and suppliers. Lumber costs are down and construction unemployment is up. Why wait until contractors have other jobs? We have a grant for field updates, why not use it on this job?
The current locker rooms are around 30 years old. They are in the basement and conditions have created a health hazzard. For a long time, players have damaged the room either intentionally or accidently.
After the new facility is built, time can be taken to make the existing space into something useable (i.e. storage, science annex, alternative locker rooms for gym classes).
My comment about improving our image was ment to mean that we have the chance to build something new that the kids can be proud of. If the students understand (from the coaches) the privlage of having such a facility at their disposal, they may be more respectful of the town.
Town leaders also have the chance to build something that can be different. Many people in Cheshire are interested in alternative energy. What if we had solar panels on the roof? How about thermal heating and cooling? (underground piping) We could design it to use minimal water or recycle the water into the sprinkler system for the field. If ideas are not spoken, they are never heard.
The possibilities are endless.
"...We should consider it because with new construction at a stand still, we could possibly get a break from the contractors and suppliers. Lumber costs are down and construction unemployment is up. Why wait until contractors have other jobs? ..."
Junior, read your own words. You have it figured out in your first paragraph. Clearly this is not a time to be building what is not absolutely necessary. After all no one associated with building is doing any building according to you.
So, that being the case you really haven't made much of a case to be building a replacement locker room right now.
Beyond that, there are a couple of important issues faced by everyone in town. First, school age population isn't exactly increasing lately. Could be a new trend unfolding. Where once we were populated by classic families with a mom and dad and several kids maybe as time goes on we become a town full of people with dogs and cats who send their little ones off to the fancy pet hotel down the road for weekend get aways. A high school locker room is the last thing the dogs and cats will need.
Then we have the issue of replacing that which has been kind of destroyed in open view of those in charge over a period of time. Replacement of the facility will not solve the problem. Those responsible for the facility need replacing first. I wonder how local oil delivery businesses would deal with a situation where their delivery trucks were being routinely abused by those who used the trucks? Would new trucks be bought because right now there are really good deals on trucks?
And of course unfortunately right now this town and everyone left in it is really stuck in the worst economic recession since 1929. Why make big capital expenditures under current economic conditions?
"If the students understand (from the coaches) the privlage of having such a facility at their disposal, they may be more respectful of the town."
Yeah sure, and I have some swamp land toi sell you.
Students don't learn respect fromn their teachers or coaches, they learn it from their parents at a very youn age. Unfortunately, there are too many out there who don't know how to teach respect to their kids so they end up raising kids who will damage things without any care or concern. They did that at home and mommy and daddy would just buy them a new one.
It is very easy to find out who is damaging property. Coaches should be held responsible after each use. If damage is not reported then the last team who used it should be held resposible.
Having said all that, we can't afford it right now. Even with the grant (if the turf heads would let us even use it)we will still need another half million to build this. Where will that come from?
Having said all that, we can't afford it right now. Even with the grant (if the turf heads would let us even use it)we will still need another half million to build this. Where will that come from?
June 05, 2009 2:35 PM
According to Calaluce this new building would cost around $500,000. The $525,000 turf grant would cover it. There should even be money left over. If you had half a million I bet you could build a really nice house...seems to me they could build a nice new small building in the MaClary Athletic complex and use that grant money. There should be no add'l cost to the taxpayer (heck it's our $525,000 anyway).
$500,000 to build a cinder block house, what are we nuts? This is to replace the snack stand at the football field. If the Booster Club wants it replaced let them pay for it out of proceeds from sales and ask all of their friends in the construction trades to donate time and materials. But nobody will donate because they will not be allowed to put their name on the field or the new snack bar. If this is so needed, the parents behind this insanity can figure out how to pay for without taxpayers money.
7:04, have you even read the posts? The PARENTS want the new locker rooms, not the BOOSTER club. Know what you are talking about before opening your mouth.
DeVylder has some good points. We have the grant, why not use it. If we give it back, it will be twice as hard to get any grant in the future. If builders are slow, we might be able to get a break on labor costs from a desperate builder. When construction restarts, material costs will go up.
I was at the Relay for Life tonight and really took a good hard look at the sports complex. While I was standing in line to use a over-taxed, over flowing port-a-potty, it dawned on me that we have the chance to build a building that will help more people than just the students.
I think his ideas about renewable resources is fantastic. Those are the out of the box ideas that the future of Cheshire need.
1:20 a.m "Those are the out of the box ideas that the future of Cheshire need."
Here's an out of the box idea for Cheshire public education. Go back to basics. Focus on academic achievement for all students. Almost never is there much if any discussion of academic achievement but one can be certain of massive discussions and spin associated with sports and athletics.
Adding a Boys Locker Room so that perfectly adequate porta-potties can be upgraded for a non-school related fund raising event is so far over the top that I'm sure many voters would never go along with the scheme. And of course one could just cross the street and head over to the bubble-topped town pool which has working toilets to see just how well the town's all inclusive construction projects wind up.
I love reading this blog. You have 1 person with the nerve and gall to put his name to his words and you shit all over him. Devylder made some excellent points and you crap on him because he publicly said that he dislikes Tim. I wish that he would run for town government as we could us someone with a little fire to stir the pot
Using the $525K grant money for the locker room was the idea of the 1st post (3:55) not DeVylder.
Whether a person puts their name to a post or not is not important. It's what they say that is important. To publicly bash Tim is uncalled for and unproductive.
Tim does a great service to the people of Cheshire by keeping us informed on the issues. You can't rely on the newspapers to do that.
Comment on the issues and leave the personal attacks out.
SZ
you are right, but devylder suggested alternative heating, cooling and recycling ideas. A few people suggested using the grant money. If we try to return the money, or not use it at all, the grants will be hard to get in the future. The government will view returning the grant as we have enough money and dont need yours. Regardless of what project we do, we must be sure to do something before the funds are removed. Inaction may cost more than careless actions
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